Seasonal Flu Vaccine Protects Against H7N9 Bird Flu

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New research suggests antibodies developed in response to seasonal flu shots can protect against the H7N9 avian flu.

A 33-year-old pregnant woman from China has become the
latest victim of the H7N9 virus, the same bird-transmitted infection that
caused worldwide alarm when it first emerged in 2013.

Officials say as of Tuesday there have been 51 confirmed
cases of H7N9 in the Guangdong
province on the South China Sea coast, according to the Chinese news service
Xinhua.

The virus kills one
third of those infected and it has been a tough one to fight.

Initially, scientists believed seasonal flu vaccines
couldn’t protect humans against H7N9, but new research released this week says
otherwise.

Flu Vaccine Activates Bird Flu Antibodies

Researchers at the University of Chicago and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount
Sinai in New York came across an
unexpected result when they were studying
flu shot reactions.

In their study, published Tuesday in The
Journal of Clinical Investigation, the research team reports the flu
vaccine activates three of the 83 antibodies that attack H3 viruses, including
H7N9.

“It appears more common than previously thought for
antibodies induced by flu vaccination to offer cross-protection against H7N9,”
Carole Henry, study author and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of
Chicago, said in a statement. "Although they are not always protective, H7-reactive antibodies can be found in almost
everyone that's been vaccinated."

Researchers discovered the antibodies by taking samples from 28 vaccinated people and
isolating 83 antibodies that react with H3N2, a strain of the common flu virus.
While no H7 strains were part of the vaccines, 7 percent of the antibodies
“appeared to completely neutralize H7N9 avian flu.”

To verify their findings, researchers treated selected lab
mice with each antibody while other mice did not receive the protection. All the
mice were given lethal doses of the H7N9 viruses. The mice that received the
antibodies survived while the others did not.

Besides H7N9, researchers discovered the flu vaccine can
protect against other H3 and H7 strains. Even if the antibodies weren’t able to
prevent the viruses from mutating, they were successful in making them less
infectious.

It’s clear that seasonal flu vaccination provides defense against more than just common strains. Everyone should be vaccinated.

Patrick Wilson, University of Chicago

While it may be some time before a vaccine against H7N9 and
other lethal viruses is readily available to the public, the Mt. Sinai-Chicago
team hopes to expand their research into more effective flu vaccines.

“The challenge is to exploit this response on a larger scale
to make vaccines or therapeutics that offer broad protection against influenza
strains,” Patrick Wilson, co-senior author and an associate professor of
medicine at the University of Chicago, said. “For now, it's clear that seasonal
flu vaccination provides defense against more than just common strains.
Everyone should be vaccinated.”

A Changing Vaccine for an Evolving Virus

Every year new flu vaccines are formulated in an attempt to
battle the ever-changing flu virus.

The CDC recommends
everyone 6 months or older receive an annual flu shot, including pregnant women
and people with chronic health conditions.

People who
shouldn’t get the vaccine are those with
severe allergies to the vaccine or its ingredients, including gelatin or
antibiotics.

Why It’s Called ‘Avian Flu’

H7N9 was dubbed “avian
flu” because it is transmitted by
poultry. While experts aren’t exactly sure why some forms of the virus are able to transfer from animals to humans, H7N9
has quickly spread through densely populated parts of China with open poultry
markets.

The disease rarely shows
traditional flu-like symptoms, but
instead develops into severe cases of pneumonia, according to the World Health Organization.

Prior to March 2013, there were no known cases of H7N9 in humans, but the virus’ debut
season resulted in 132 infections in people along with 44 deaths, according
to the CDC.